Great Green Sauce

​I had an overabundance of green peppers & green tomatoes that I brought in just before a hard frost last week. I froze quite a few of them, used some others in Green Tomato Sauté, and still had some left over. So I thought, you can make sauce from everything else (tomatoes, Basil, dill, roasted red peppers), why not green peppers? I still had some cilantro in the garden and an onion in the pantry, so I decided to see what would happen. What fun! It’s a simple process, just chopping & sautéing, & a food processor. So yeah, it takes a little time, but it’s incredibly delicious! (Please note that this is not in the least spicy with 3 jalapeños. They just help give it flavor. Since I like spicy, I’m going to make it with 6 next time.)

I’ve intentionally omitted salt, pepper, & additional olive oil from this sauce. That way, it remains more flexible for varied uses. Equal parts sauce & extra-virgin olive oil would make for a good tortilla dipping sauce, or spread for fresh bread. With added salt & pepper, mix the sauce with rice & garnish with fresh cilantro for an exciting side dish. My first use was in Great Green Sheet Pan Chicken Supper, which was delicious. I’ll try freezing some to use as a marinade this winter. I expect the texture won’t hold, but the flavor should. Or really, it’s so yummy I could just eat it with a spoon. That’s how I ended up with my Gazpacho de Julia recipe – I made so many batches of salsa fresca that I ended up eating with a spoon, that I figured I might as well just make it into soup! You’ll find a printer-friendly version of Great Green Sauce at the bottom of this page.

1/12/17 Update: We had some of the frozen sauce tonight. It held up remarkably well. Both flavor and texture were still excellent. I’m only disappointed that there’s just one meal’s worth left.

Ingredients:

~1½ pounds green bell peppers

2 – 3 green tomatoes

3 – 6 jalapeños

1 large white onion

4 large cloves of garlic

~½ cup loosely packed cilantro leaves

Olive oil as needed for sautéing

Hot water for deglazing the pan

Preparation:

1.) Prepare all ingredients before cooking. Chop the bell peppers, green tomatoes, onion, & jalapeños. Mince the garlic. Heat some water in a kettle.

2.) Work in batches, so you’ll get some nice browning. Heat a large pan, add some olive oil, & let it heat up. Sauté the onions first, just to the point that they begin to soften & brown, then remove to a bowl. Next come the bell peppers, adding a little more oil as needed. (Do these in 2 batches if your pan isn’t very large.) Same procedure.

3.) Sauté the green tomatoes & jalapeños together, being careful to keep your face out of the steam. You don’t want that in your eyes! When those are done, push them so they cover the area of your pan that is the brownest. This will help keep it from burning while you cook the garlic. Reduce heat, and put a little more oil off to one side. Add the garlic to that, & spread it around just a bit. Keep a close eye on it – burned garlic tastes awful. Cook it for only a minute or so, until it softens & becomes fragrant. Move everything to the bowl.

4.) Pour a little hot water, maybe a quarter to a half cup, into the pan. Don’t use cold, since cold water in a hot pan can lead to the pan warping. Use the water to scrape up all the browned bits. Let half of the water evaporate, scraping constantly to keep all the good stuff from sticking again. A good silicone spatula is great for scraping this stage. The liquid should be down to a couple of tablespoons, and thicker because of all the browned bits.

5.) Place about half the cooked veggies in the bowl of a food processor, pour the pan juices in with them, and process until nearly smooth. Pour that out into a bowl. Place the rest of the veggies, along with all the cilantro, into the processor. Repeat. Once everything is processed, stir both batches together. You can use the sauce right away, or refrigerate. I doubt it freezes all that well. The flavor may survive, but I’d be surprised if the texture did. Then again, you don’t need texture for a marinade, so maybe I will try freezing some just for kicks & giggles.

Directions

1.) Prepare all ingredients before cooking. Chop the bell peppers, green tomatoes, onion, & jalapeños. Mince the garlic. Heat some water in a kettle.

2.) Work in batches, so you’ll get some nice browning. Heat a large pan, add some olive oil, & let it heat up. Sauté the onions first, just to the point that they begin to soften & brown, then remove to a bowl. Next come the bell peppers, adding a little more oil as needed. (Do these in 2 batches if your pan isn’t very large.) Same procedure.

3.) Sauté the green tomatoes & jalapeños together, being careful to keep your face out of the steam. When those are done, push them so they cover the area of your pan that is the brownest. This will help keep the pan from burning while you cook the garlic. Reduce heat, and put a little more oil off to one side. Add the garlic to that, & spread it around just a bit. Keep a close eye on it – burned garlic tastes awful. Cook it for only a minute or so, until it softens & becomes fragrant. Move everything to the bowl.

4.) Pour a little hot water, maybe ¼-½ cup, into the pan. Use the water to scrape up all the browned bits. Let half of the water evaporate, scraping constantly to keep all the good stuff from sticking again. The liquid should be down to a couple of tablespoons, and thicker because of all the browned bits.

5.) Place about half the cooked veggies in the bowl of a food processor, pour the pan juices in with them, and process until nearly smooth. Pour that out into a bowl. Place the rest of the veggies, along with all the cilantro, into the processor. Repeat. Once everything is processed, stir both batches together. You can use the sauce right away, refrigerate, or freeze.